problem with loading OS

[amateur]

Hi,recently i just installed a new harddisk.
The problem is that i can't restart my system.
If i tried to restart,the system reboot and
it will hang and all i get is a black screen.
At that point i can't even power off my PC with
the ON/OFF button,i'll have to switch it off at
the main.Then i tried to on it again,but it was
not until after several times of doing this,that
i can finally get Windows to load properly.
Can anyone advise me ? Thanx

[tjaymadison]

Welcome -- you found a good site for help with your system. But it will be much easier to diagnose your problem if you include more information about your setup: the operating system and version, CPU type and speed, other drives like CD/CD-R/CD-RW, and in this case, the size (wattage) of the power supply, and the size and speed of both hard drives.

Basically it sounds like the new drive is overloading your system in some way. Was the new drive installed to replace the existing HD, or are you going to use both drives in the system? If so, did you set the master/slave jumper on each drive correctly? Some drives require one setting if they are the only drive, and a different setting for a two-drive setup. You may have accidentally loosened a connection somewhere. Double-check the power supply connection at the motherboard. If your system is older, you may have have reached the limit of the power supply. Unhook the power and data cables to the new HD and see if it will boot like it used to. At the rear, does the power supply fan rotate when you turn the system on? When the system does boot, can you get to the BIOS setup screen?

As you can see, there are many items to check out. If you post back with some more info, there will be many people here who will try to help you.

[amateur]

CPU : AMD Duron 700MHz
MB : GA-7ZX-1
Graphics: creative geforce 2 mx
128 MB SDRAM
Power Supply : 250W
1 FDD
1 CD-ROM DR

I m using a single harddrive
(Seagate Barracuda 20.4 GB ATA 66 7200RPM)
So i set it to master/single .
All the cables are intact, no loose connection.
The power supply fan does rotate when i turn on
my system . yes i can get to the bios setup screen
if my system boots .
any clue yet ?

[Steve48]

Hello,

After reading your post, my first thoughts were maybe the ribbon cable was in backwards, so you might want to check that. Some ribbon cables are keyed so that you can only put them in one way..others are not. On the ribbon cable itself one side will have a red or black stripe that runs the lenght of the cable. That is pin 1, that should go to pin one of the Drive.
Other than that if you can get to POST, hit the delete key and you will get to the CMOS settins. In there by looking around you will find a HDD auto detect option. See if that doesnt help. Otherwise, try your old drive to make sure something else hasnt change,

Good Luck
Steve

[Randy_tx]

I've had a few problems with the Athalon/Duron setup as well...esp. when system is first booting (cold). What I might offer is that you go into the BIOS settings (only if you are accustomed to doing it) and make a few changes. If you have already adjusted the bios settings ....let us know and we can give you some ideas.......if the Bios is totally foreign to you...it might be time to take it to the place you bought it and have them make good on your Warranty!! The area to concentrate on is related to timing......I've found that I have to slow the system down a bit to get it really stable....Let us know more about your experience before we give you things to try http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

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"As hard as a rock & dumb as a brick"...Windows CEMeNT

[amateur]

Is it possible that if a system overheat,
it will become unstable ? Coz i happened to
take off the casing and have a living room fan
blowing right at the system and everything seems
alright again .At least it was functioning
well when i just fixed the harddisk until
everything gets hot.

[This message has been edited by amateur (edited 03-22-2001).]

[Paleo Pete]

Yep, it's not only possible, it's very likely. Overheating can cause instability, lockups, spontaneous reboots, and failure to boot after any of the above.

If the system runs correctly with a fan blowing inside it's time to check into a better cooling solution.

From the specs you listed I see one big problem. I seriously doubt if a 250 watt power supply is sufficient to handle that system. I would think at least 300 watts would be necessary to handle the hardware you listed. That's probably where your overheating problem originates as well, the power supply is being overworked trying to keep the system running at all, and getting hot. If the fan happens to be blowing into the case it's heating everything else too. (That's not very likely, most power supply fans draw air out of the case, not into it.)

I think you need a better power supply. Make sure you get one that's AMD approved and at least 300 watts.

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Note: Please post your questions on the forums, not in my email.

Computer Information Links (http://www.geocities.com/paleopete/)

[amateur]

hey thanx for your help guys http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif